...that keeps giving

XVIII

Abisade looked unseeingly through his office window and wondered if maybe he had been directing his anger at the wrong target all along. He never got to know Naomi at all and he may not even have the time to do so now that she is travelling to another state. In all the months they have been married, he never really thought of it until the call to the hospital. He has never really encountered a woman who did not want to be associated with his family name. Even in the last relationship before his marriage, Stephanie had never complained about his lifestyle even though she knew she was not the only one in his life. She was satisfied at being associated with him and being the main squeeze. When he informed her about his marriage, she travelled out of the country saying she needed the space.

He had called a known person at the hospital and asked about Naomi, she was shocked that Naomi was married and insisted that Abisade was wrong.

He tried to talk to his brother about his wife which was odd but the guy was as closed as a clam for the first time in his life. He referred him back to Naomi for all the questions he had.

In retrospect, what if Naomi was leaving Lagos because of her connection to him? What if she wanted to start afresh in another state where his family may not be known?

He called Gwen who said they were in school to get their call-up letters. He couldn't ask for his wife's state because it would have been odd and he wasn't sure of how much she knew about the circumstances surrounding their marriage. He had worked on Gwen's posting himself and had waited for his wife to request help rather than take it upon himself to do it.

Sanmi was proving difficult now more than ever.

He called to ask his mother about the hospital project Naomi was involved with. She told him they were in the design stage and may not need the committee till the designers were done with the 3D designs.

He wanted to at least have a proper conversation before she departed. His father was currently out of town on the company plane so she had booked a ticket according to his brother when he offered to buy her one.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

Your 2 pm appointment is here sir and I wanted to drop these drafts on your table for perusal. The young lady walked in with some files which she gently placed on his table.

Naomi heaved a sigh of relief as she hopped into bed. She raised her pillow for support while waiting for her serum to settle into her skin. She picked up her phone to check her to-do list. All she had left was the visit to her parents before departure.

The plan was to go to their house tomorrow and travel to Cross River from there.

Her mother was shocked when she told her she was posted to Cross River. There was nothing they could do about it. She made it clear her new family would have sorted her out but she did not want interference

"You are as stubborn as your father" her mother had concluded.

Gwen was lucky to be in Lagos, Seun also met someone who sorted her out and she was happy for them. She just needed the breather. Somewhere away from the familiar. She had sent a mail to one of the Federal hospitals in Calabar and was lucky to get a positive response.

A message from Abisade dropped on her phone, so she checked to see what he wanted.

"Can we talk?"

She was wondering what she had done this time around and proceeded to ask if everything was okay.

He replied that he'd like to have a conversation in the living room.

With a sigh, she shook her head. She didn't want to dress up again, so she looked around the room to find something suitable. She promised to join him in the living room in a few minutes.

She found a pair of shorts and the biggest t-shirt put on her bonnet and left for the living room.

"I hope I didn't wake you up?"

"No I'm good," she responded taking the seat closest to her. Even though she's lived in the house for months, she rarely stayed in the living room, maybe because of her routine or because everything she needed was present in her room, coupled with the fact that you can not see the living room from the dining table where she usually had her meals.

The living room looked exactly the way she met it months ago. The masculine tone was obvious and if you didn't see the wedding pictures on the wall you wouldn't believe that a woman was resident.

Even though their living room was mostly done in black and white, it was masculine and had the signature of an expensive interior designer. Even if she wanted to add a feminine touch to the apartment, she wouldn't know what to do and suggesting anything to Abisade could hit the wrong nerve.

"I know you are travelling this week"

"Yeah, the day after tomorrow."

"Do you mind me asking the state you were posted to?"

"Cross River."

"I was wondering if you'd like to redeploy before or after the three weeks."

"Nope. I already got a hospital that will need my services and the pay is fair."

"Money should not be a factor at this point, you should know that."

"Meaning?"

"No...no.. I don't mean it in a bad way, just that you have all the resources you need, all you have to do is ask if what you have access to is not enough."

"Hmm."

"How do you intend to manage the home front then, going away doesn't mean we are not married."

"I thought we talked about this when we visited your parents,"

"I said those things to get my mother off our backs."

"Uh, about that, I intend to come home once in a while, service is just a year. If you have any executive meeting that may require me to be present, I can fly down if I will be permitted."

"A lot of things can happen in one year you know?"

Naomi shrugged, she did not bother to ask what he meant by the statement

"What about your job at Manslad, the new project you are working on with the committee?"

"Well, I think all has been sorted. My role will be available at Manslad as soon as I am ready to resume and for the committee, I have written formally to inform them about my circumstance and they have promised to have virtual meetings with me if need be."

"I just wanted you to leave on a good note, at least know that if you need help, I will be here and if you don't mind, I can call you from time to time to check up on you."

"Oh! That's fine. Thank you."

"Can I get someone to take you to the airport?"

"Is everything alright Abisade, did Sanmi put you up to this?"

"Of course not. Everything is fine. I just realized that everything that has been happening is not your fault and we can at least try to be friends."

"Hmm. It's okay then, I was wondering if Sanmi was up to his usual gimmicks. I am going to my parents' tomorrow to visit and then to the airport the day after from their house. My dad is taking me."

"Okay, my regards to them. I will call you to check up on you when you land."

"That's fine, thank you."

"Don't forget to take your ring with you"

"Oh! It's in my luggage"

Thank you, good night.

He watched her walk away and thought if he should have said more or maybe offered to do more.